Friday, July 11, 2014

Volunteering is a simple way to help others.

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By Dr. Mercola

Volunteering is a simple way to help others, but it’salso a powerful way to help yourself.

Beyond the good feelings you’ll get from donating your
time, and the potential to develop new, meaningful
relationships with people in your community, volunteering has
a significant impact on your physical health, including a
boost to your heart health.

Volunteering Cuts Your Risk of High Blood Pressure by 40Percent

New research from Carnegie Mellon University, scheduled
to be published in the journal Psychology and Aging, followed
more than 1,000 adults between the ages of 51 and 91.

Those who volunteered for at least 200 hours a year were
40 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure than
those who did not. The type of volunteer work appeared to be
irrelevant. Rather, it was the amount of time spent doing it
that mattered.

As people get older, social transitions like
retirement, bereavement and the departure of children from
the home often leave older adults with fewer natural
opportunities for social interaction, lead author Rodlescia
Sneed, Ph.D said.

Participating in volunteer activities may provide
older adults with social connections that they might not have
otherwise. There is strong evidence that having good social
connections promotes healthy aging and reduces risk for a
number of negative health outcomes.

Indeed, social interaction, and the stress relief it can
provide, is likely one major reason why volunteering has a
beneficial effect on blood pressure, as it’s a well-known
fact that stress elevates blood pressure.

What Makes Volunteering so Good for Your Health?

Blood pressure aside, volunteering is not only a boon for
your heart health. Research shows volunteering can cut your
overall mortality risk by 47 percent, may lower your risk of
depression and anxiety, and even boost your psychological
well-being.

The benefits are particularly pronounced among older
adults, a population that tends to slow down once retirement
hits. It’s likely that one reason volunteering is so

beneficial is simply because it keeps you active and on your
feet. Instead of resigning yourself to your couch, choosing
to volunteer adds many hours of non-exercise activity to your
life a key to optimal health.

Sitting for extended periods of time is an independent
risk factor for poor health and premature death. Volunteering
is a simple way to interrupt the sitting and add unlimited
amounts of movement to your days, which some experts, such as
former NASA director Dr. Joan Vernikos, believe is even more
important than regular exercise.

As mentioned, there’s a definite social aspect as well,
as if you're socially isolated, you may experience poorer
health and a shorter lifespan. Volunteering also gives you a
sense of purpose and can even lead to a so-called helper’s
high, which may occur because doing good releases feel-good
hormones like oxytocin in your body while lowering levels of
stress hormones like cortisol.

The latter may also explain why volunteering is so good
for your heart health (separate research has even shown that
states with a high volunteer rate have lower rates of
mortality and incidences of heart disease). Researchers
noted:

[Studies] consistently demonstrate that there is a
significant relationship between volunteering and good
health; when individuals volunteer, they not only help their
community but also experience better health in later years,
whether in terms of greater longevity, higher functional
ability, or lower rates of depression.

Worried About High Blood Pressure? Here's What Can Help

For the good of your community, and the good of your
physical and emotional health, volunteering is an activity
that we should all strive to do. But it obviously shouldn’t
be your only strategy to keep your blood pressure in check.

Hypertension is best addressed by using a natural
approach, as opposed to a cocktail of typical expensive and
dangerous prescription drugs that may actually backfire on
you. Lifestyle changes, with particular emphasis on
normalizing your insulin levels, will put you on the safest
and most reliable path toward optimal health and blood
pressure levels. This includes:

Replace most of your carbs, including sugar and
fructose, with non-starchy vegetables and replace the lost
calories with healthy fats like:

Olives and olive oil (for cold dishes)

Coconuts and coconut oil (for all types of cooking and
baking)

Butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk

Raw nuts, such as macadamia nuts

Organic pastured egg yolks

Avocados

Pasture-finished meats

Palm oil (make sure it’s the eco-friendly variety)

Unheated organic nut oils

Normalize your omega-6:3 ratio. Both omega-3 and omega-6 fats
are essential for your health. Most Americans, however, are
getting too much omega-6 and far too little omega-3 in their
diets. Consuming omega-3 fats is one of the best ways to re-
sensitize your insulin receptors if you suffer from insulin
resistance. Omega-3 fats are also important for strong cell
membranes and good arterial elasticity. The best sources of
omega-3 fats are fish and animal products. Unfortunately,
most fresh fish today contains dangerously high levels of
mercury. Your best bet is to find a safe source of fish, or
if this proves too difficult, supplement with a high-quality
krill oil.

Eliminate caffeine. The connection between caffeine
consumption and high blood pressure is not well understood,
but there is ample evidence to indicate that if you have
hypertension, coffee and other caffeinated drinks and foods
can ex­acerbate your condition.

Consume fermented foods. Disturbances in gut flora appear to
be a significant factor in the development of heart disease,
as well as in many other chronic health problems. The best
way to optimize your gut flora is by including some naturally
fermented foods in your diet, such as sauerkraut and other
fermented vegetables, yogurt, kefir, cheese and natto.

Fermented foods (especially gouda and edam cheeses) are an
important source of vitamin K2, which plays a crucial role in
protecting your heart and brain.

Optimize your vitamin D level. Vitamin D deficiency has been
linked to metabolic syndrome, as well as to high blood
pressure. Vitamin D is a negative inhibitor of your body's
renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which regulates blood
pressure. If you're vitamin-D deficient, it can cause
inappropriate activation of your RAS, which may lead to
hypertension. Ideally, you'll want to get your vitamin D by
safely exposing your skin to the sun, or using a safe tanning
bed. If those are not possible, then consider taking a
vitamin D3 supplement.

Make exercise a priority. A comprehensive exercise regimen
such as my Peak Fitness program is very important in
maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system. Your routine
should incorporate high-intensity interval training and
weight training one to three times a week, as these have been
shown to be even more effective than aerobic exercises at
reducing your risk of dying from a heart attack.

Get Grounded. Lack of grounding, due to widespread use of
rubber or plastic-soled shoes, is likely contributing to
chronic inflammation today. When you walk on the Earth
barefoot, there is a massive transfer of beneficial electrons
rom the Earth into your body. Walking barefoot outside
improves blood viscosity and blood flow, which help regulate
blood pressure. So, do yourself a favor and put your bare
feet upon the sand or dewy grass to harness the healing power
of the Earth.

About Me

Hi Folks, My name is Larry Nelson. I'm 67 years old, I live in central
Texas and I'm enjoying my retirement.
In May of 2007 I was diagnosed with cancer in my prostate. I wasn't
real surprised because my mother died from the 3rd battle with cancer.
I was told that, on a scale of 1 to 9, I was rated 7. They said that I
had a very short time to live unless I have my prostate removed and
follow up with Kemo-Therapy.
I tried to explain to the uroligist that I had been studying cancer
treatment on the internet and that I had decidedto go the alterative
route. I had to repeat myself 3 times to get the doctor to acknowledge
my comment. He told me that it wouldn't work.
It is now February of 2012, I don't have cancer problems that I know of.
I have lost friends to the medical treatment of cancer and I had decided
that I wasn't going to go through the HELL that they did before they died.
What I want to accomplish with this blog is...I want to let as many people
know as I can that there is a much better way to deal with cancer. There
is many people like me that have beat cancer with the alternative approach
to beating cancer.